I'll start with the technology.  The different sorts of software available these days, specifically for the recruiting industry, are amazing.  I thought I was on the forefront of recruiting in 2006 when we decided to use a SaaS (Software as a Service) as an applicant tracking system.  Now, there are so many ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) options and there are even resume aggregators!  What is a resume aggregator, you may ask.  It is an application used to store, search and manage resumes from multiple internet search sites all in one place.  This is completely different from an ATS but after using this resume aggregator for 2 weeks ... I will never go without! 

When I began my career in recruiting, we used correction tape to cover candidate resumes and the fax machine was the most valued piece of equipment, next to the phone.  Around 2001, the internet and email forever changed the way we corresponded to candidates and clients.  But now, we have social recruiting by way of LinkedIn, FaceBook, Google+ and Twitter.  These social recruiting sites along with Boolean string searches has once again changed the way we search, connect and correspond to candidates and clients.  The accessibility to hiring managers through LinkedIn and Twitter is unbelievable.  Never before could we learn so much about someone before even shaking their hand. 

One of the biggest changes that I am so glad to see is the increased demand and finally the much overdue appreciation for the Recruiter.  We, third party recruiters, supplement corporate recruiting divisions; hence, I write this as an extension of your own recruiting team in hopes that they understand my amazement and appreciation for the growth our industry has seen.  The demand for recruiters increased significantly this year with the uptick in hiring (which I hope is a potential indicator of a stabilizing economy).  It's not just the demand I am glad to see but I am excited to see how the recruiter's role is viewed differently than it was just three years ago.  I believe the downsizing of companies has finally placed an emphasis on hiring and retaining top talent.  Companies finally understand that talent is the competitive edge and the core of any organization.  The future for HR is more focused on talent -- recruitment, development and retention -- not compensation, benefits and administration and this makes me smile. 

I don't want everyone to get the wrong message here.  I do not think (nor have I ever thought) recruiting is an easy career path or that anyone can do it - even with all these advances.  At the end of the day, recruiting is still about reading people's mind, connecting with people, and probing and influencing others.  Like I have always said, recruiting is not rocket science but it isn't for everyone.